Greenhouse construction



July 24, 1934. J. B. FOLEY 1,967,769

GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 24, 1934. J, B. FOLEY 1,967,769

GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

\llllllllflllMMlll kml+rlm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION James B. Foley, River Forest, Ill., assignor to The Foley Greenhouse Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Illinois Application May 20, 1932, Serial No. 612,569

6 Claims. (Cl. 108-25) The invention relates to greenhouse construcnel or drips from the outer vertical surfaces tion and has for its primary object the provioi the legs thereof, will flow to or will collect slon of improved construction of the kind de along the longitudinally extending edges of the scribed which is durable and may be erected with bottom surface of the channel and fall into guta minimum of labor. ters hereinafter described. 60

Another object of the invention is to provide The channel 10 is secured by bolts to post improved construction of the kind described brackets, one of which is shown at 16. The which will permit wooden members thereof to be brackets 16 are provided with sockets 1'7 which protected thoroughly against the deteriorating efcommunicate the upper ends of posts or col- 10 i'ects of moisture. umns 18. The lower ends of the posts 18 are 5 Another particular object of the invention is preferably embedded in concrete foundation to provide an improved roof bar bracket for seblocks (not shown), or the equivalent. curing the wooden roof bars or rafters to the As best shown in 2, the bracket 16 is progutter channels, or the equivalent, at the eaves vided preferably with integral laterally extending 15 of the buildings. V-shaped arms 19 which carry gutters 20, or the 70 Still another object of the invention is to proequivalent. vide construction of the kind described having A fragmentary portion of an improved greenimproved means for holding the glass of the house roof is illustrated in connection with the roof. channel 10, the greenhouse roof being designated 0 Other objects and advantages will become apgenerally by the reference character 22. The roof 75 parent as the following detailed description pro 22 comprises a plurality of wooden roof bars or grosses, reference being had to the accompanyrafters, one of which is shown at 23. The roof ing drawings, wherein bar 23 is shown in cross section in Fig. 3. Its

Figure l is a section taken transversely through upper portion is reduced in width to provide the eaves of a greenhouse which embodies the shoulders 24 for supporting the glass 25 of the invention, the section being taken on line 1-1 roof. It will be noted that the edges of the glass of Fig. 4. 25 rest upon putty 26, or the equivalent, and that Fig. 2 is a section taken on the same line as brads 27, or the equivalent, hold the glass rigidly Fig. 1, but the glass of the roof and a glazing in place upon the roof bars. The roof bar 23 is strip for holding it are omitted. also provided with grooves or channels 28 in its 85 Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. side surfaces, which channels 28 collect conden- Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown sation from the roof bar and discharge it at the in Figs. 1 and 2. lower end thereof, the lower end of the roof bar Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an improved roof being adjacent the channel 10.

bar bracket for securing the roof bars or rafters The roof bar 23 is secured to the channel 10 90 to a channel which forms a gutter between adby means comprising an improved roof bar brackjacent units of a greenhouse. et 30. The roof bar bracket 30 is preferably cast Fig. 6 is a plan view of the improved roof bar from metal and comprises a relatively thin, verbracket. tically extending web portion 31. Formed inte Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the improved roof gral with the web portion 31 at the upper end b b cket, nd thereof is a head portion 32 and formed integral Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of a pluwth the lower end of the web portion 31 is a foot rality of glazing strips which co-operate with portion The foot portion 33 is provided with the gutter channel and the roof bar brackets to a notch 34 hav ng surfaces adapted to abut hold th 1o ermost glass on the roof of the imagainst a side surface and the bottom surface of mo proved structure. the channel 10. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) The foot Referring to the drawings, the reference charportion 33 is also provided with a lug 34a a in acter 10 designates a metal channel which forms which one may hammer or pound to assemble the a gutter in the valley between adjacent units of a bracket 30 with the channel 10.

greenhouse. It will be noted that the web 11 of The head portion 32 is formed with a notch the channel 10 is disposed substantially horizontal 36 which is engageable with the free edge of one and that it is crowned slightly as at 12 so that of the flanges of the channel 10. When the its bottom surface is slightly concave. This conbracket 30 s to be assembled with the channel struction insures that any water which collects 10, the notch 36 of the bracket 30 is first engaged or condenses upon the bottom surface of the chanwith the channel 10 in the manner illustrated in no Figs. 1 and 2. The foot portion 33 is then driven into the position wherein it is shown in the same figures. The bracket 30 is designed to fit snugly on the channel 10 and therefore it is necessary to hammer or pound upon the lug 34a to drive the foot portion 33 into the position wherein the surfaces ofthe notch 34 engage the channel 10 in the manner illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The head portion 32 is provided with a pair of integral laterally extending lugs 37 and a pair of integrally extending lugs 38. The lugs 37 hook over the free edge of the channel flange to which the bracket 30 is secured. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) The lugs 3'7 also form stops for the ends of the sheet metal glazing strips 40. The glazing strips are preferably formed from zinc.

The lugs 38 form continuations of the shoulders 24 provided upon the roof bar 23 and therefore support the glass 25. It will be noted that the ends of the glazing strips 40 abut against the side surfaces of the head portion 32 and are disposed between the lugs 37 and 38. This construction insures that the glazing strips 40 will remain in place upon the upper edge of the channel leg to which the bracket 30 is secured.

Formed integral with the web 31 and extending laterally therefrom are a pair of ribs 42 and a pair of ribs 43, which ribs 42 and 43 extend from the head portion 32 and the foot portion 33, respectively. The ribs 42 and 43 converge into an integral arm 45 to which the lower end of the roof bar 23 is secured by a screw 46, or the equivalent. It will be noted that the arm 45 supports the lower end of the roof bar. The ribs 42 and a portion of the arm 45 are curved to provide an arcuate surface 47 spaced from the lower end of the roof bar. As indicated at 50 in Figs. 1 and 2, sufficient space is left between the surface 47 and the lower end of the roof bar so that the major portion of the lower end of the roof bar may be painted to protect it against the deteriorating effect of moisture.

The head 32 of the bracket 30 is secured to the lower end of the roof bar 23 by a wood screw 52, or the equivalent, which extends diagonally into the roof bar. It will be noted that the head of the screw 52 is counter-sunk in the head 32 of the bracket 30.

Each glazing strip 40 is bent to provide a flange 55 which engages the lower edges of the glass 25. An intermediate portion 56 of the glazing strip 40 extends at right angles to the flange 55 and supports the lower marginal portion of the bottom surfaces of the glass 25. The glazing strip 40 also comprises a substantially vertically disposed flange 5'7 which abuts against the outer surface of the channel flange to which the bracket 30 is attached.

The notch 34 forms an angular seat and is disposed opposite to the notch 36. The notch 36 forms a hook in the head 32. This hook and the notch 34 co-operate to secure the bracket 30 rigidly to the channel 10, the bracket being locked to the channel by a wedge-like action.

It will be noted that the moisture collected by the channels 28 in the bar 23 will be discharged or drip into the gutter 20 disposed beneath the bracket 30. It will also be noted that all moisture which condenses upon the under side of the glass 25 or on the bracket 30 will drop into this gutter 20. The gutter 20 will also receive the moisture which drips from the lower edge of the outer surface of the channel flange to which the bracket 30 is secured.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as possible, in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a building, a member extending along the eaves thereof, a rafter extending at right angles to said member, a bracket secured to one end of said rafter and to said member, said bracket being provided with laterally extending lugs, a glazing strip mounted on said member and having one of its ends disposed between said lugs to prevent displacement of said strip laterally of said member, and a glass pane abutting said strip.

2. In a building, a member extending along the eaves thereof, a rafter extending at right angles to said member, a bracket secured to one end of said rafter and to said member, said bracket being provided with laterally extending lugs, a glazing strip mounted on said member and having one of its ends disposed between said lugs to prevent displacement of said strip laterally of said member, and a glass pane abutting said strip, said glass pane being supported by said strip and having its bottom surface resting on one of said lugs.

3. In a building, a member extending along the eaves thereof, a rafter extending at right angles to said member and provided with a longitudinally extending shoulder, a bracket secured to one end of said rafter and to said member, said bracket being provided with laterally extending lugs, a glazing strip mounted on said member and having one of its ends disposed leetween said lugs to prevent displacement of said strip laterally of said member, and a glass pane abutting said strip, said glass pane being supported by said strip, one of said lugs and said shoulder.

4. In a building, a channel providing a gutter between two building units having wooden rafters, said channel having its flanges substantially vertically disposed, a bracket secured to the outer end of one of said rafters and to one of the flanges of said channel, said bracket being provided with laterally extending lugs, a glazing strip positioned on the upper edge of the last-mentioned flange of said channel, one end of said glazing strip being disposed between said lugs to prevent displacement thereof laterally of said channel, and a glass pane having one of its edges abutting said glazing strip.

5. In a building, a channel providing a gutter between two building units having wooden rafters, said channel having its flanges substantially vertically disposed, a bracket connecting a rafter with said channel, said bracket comprising a head portion having a hook engaging a flange of said channel, a foot portion having an angular seat adapted to engage two surfaces of said channel, a web portion connecting said head portion and said foot portion, said web being spaced from the end of said rafter so that said end is readily accessible, a pair of lugs projecting laterally from said head, a glazing strip positioned on the upper edge of the flange of said channel, one end of said glazing strip being disposed in said lugs to prevent displacement thereof laterally of said channei, and a gIass pane having one of its edges abutting said glazing strip.

6. In a building, a bracket for connecting a rafter with a member extending longitudinally of the building, said bracket being provided with an angular seat adapted to engage two sides of said member, and an opposing hook for engaging an edge of said member, said bracket comprising a 

